Storage-battery lamp.



C. B. BARTLEY.

STORAGE BATTERY LAMP.

APPLICATION PILED SEPT. 26, 1911.

Patented June 11, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

fnvenor: f, i

C. B. BARTLEY. STORAGE BATTERY LAMP.

APPLICATION PILBD SEPT. ze, 1911. 1 ,028,984, Patented June 11,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2,

Hg. fz

Winesses: f In ven (or UNITED STATES PATEN T OFFICE.

CHARLES B. BABTLEY, 0F ITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR-OF `ONE-HALF T0GEORGE. F. RYLANDS AND ONE-FOURTH TO R. H. RUSH, BOTH OF CHARLEROI,

PENNSYLVANIA.

STORAGE-BATTERY LAMP.

Application filed September 26, 1911.

To all whom tt may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES B. BARTLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inStorage-Battery Lamps, of which the following is a specification. A

My invention consists of an improvement in storage battery lamps and isparticularly designed to provide, .in a lamp. of such- The main objectof the invention is to.

provide a light portable casing, lamp, and a battery of such character,capable of being readily inserted and removed from the receiving casefor establishing the light current therethrough; of being readilyrecharged; a case adapted for sealirbg/against unauthorized or improperuse or diversion of the current of the battery, While the case itself isalso capable of use by connection With a permanent source of current bya slight modification.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a perspective viewillustrating the storage battery and lamp in its entirety within theinclcging case: Fig. 2 is a face View, in elevation, of Figvl. Fig. 3 isa partial inner view of the covering plate, partly broken away. Fig. 4is a vertical sectional view, indicated by the line IV. IV. of Fig. l.Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line V. V. of Fig. 2. Fig.6 is a vertical sectional lview on the broken line VI. VI. of Fig. 4.Fig. 7 is a rt-op plan View of the battery removed from the case andshowing the contact springs. Fig. 8 is a view of one side member ofthebatteryy plates in elevation, and slightly enlarged. Fig. 9 is a partialdetail View of the same on a further enlarged scale. Fig. 10 is asectional detail view through the active portion of the bat- Specicationof Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1912.

Serial No. 651,424.

tery, representing the plates and their associated elements, taken onthe line X. X. of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a face view of the inner front sideof the same showing it provided with a connecting plug and contacts forconnection with a permanent source of current. Fig. 12 is a plan view ofthe case on the line XII.. XII. of Fig. 11. Fig. 13 is aperspective'detail view of the insertible switch plug.

The outer surrounding case of the battery is made of thin sheet metal 2,in box form, adapted to be mounted. in any suitable receiving holder,'such as that shown in my companion application filed herewith, or madeotherwise for convenient handling or mounting on any Suitable support.

The interior of the casing is closed by a slidably mounted front 8, thelower edge of which lits within a receiving lip or recess formed byHanging the lower side of the case 2, as indicated at 4, while the coveritself has a sliding engagement with the front edges of the case at eachside, as at 5.

In addition to the mount-ing of the box or casing within the holding'receptacle in which it is placed, the rear portion of the case is alsopreferably provided with a tongue `6 of thin sheet metal adapted t0interfit within a retaining cleat, and said tongue may also be employedfor attaching the cas-ing and its contents, including the lamp, asshown, to any other desired support, if desired.

Within the casing is inserted the battery hereinafter described. For thepurpose of making Contact with the consuming element, as the lamp, thepositive plate of the battery is provided with a contact terminal 7which extends across in front of its upper portion, being connected withthe positive plate b by a suitable stud or post 8, while a similarspring Contact 9 is connected with the negative plate a by a similarstud or post 10,.

Spring 7 is preferably double, as shown, providing ample resiliency andinsuring good Contact with the sprin Contact member 11 secured in theinner side ofthe front cover 3. Springs 7 and 9, each having sufficientspring tension to insure contact, are of an suitable conducting materialas phosphor bronze, vanadiuni,'or any non-corrosive conducting metal.They are Secured to the conducting post 8 or 10 by brazing or sweatingthereto. Into the middle front portionof the front cover 3 which islongitudinally extended vertically of its middle portion Vfor clearanceof the contact member 11, is a lamp socket 12, into which is screwed thebase of an electric lamp 13. Outwardly beyond said socket' 12 extendsthe semispherical lamp casing 14, of thin sheet metal, in the outerportion of which is the lens 15. Said lens is iXedly secured in anannular rim 16 having oppositely located outwardly pressed projections17, adapted to register with entrance openings 18 in thev receivingperiphery of the shell 14, in the manner of a bayonet joint. By thusinserting the lens holder and giving it a quarter turn, the'lens istixedly held by the annular retaining channel 19, as clearly shown i'nFigs. 1 and 5. The contact spring 11, which is bowed inwardly to makecontact with the spring 7, is mounted in the vertical central channel ofthe front 3 and completely insulated from the plate by a piece of fiberor other insu? lating material 20, placed underneath the contact 11. Anouter cleat 21, which secures spring 11 in place, is insulated from saidcontact 11 by a thin piece of insulation 22, preventing electricalconnection through the rivets 23, and as thus mounted the contact 11 iscompletely insulated from the front plate. At its lower end contactmember 11 is provided with a contacting terminal 24 which normally engaes the inner end of tlievlamp socket, esta lishing circuit with oneterminal of the filament. The other terminal is in electricalcommunication with the; metallic front 3 through the socket engag'ementof the lamp, and thence to the entijre lmain outer casing 2. The otherspring 9 of the battery makes rubbing con-l tactl with the side of thecasing, when inserted, thereby establishing electrical connectionbetween the active portions of the battery and the lamp, when thebattery is inserted in the case 2, and the cover 3 is placed upon it.ABy this means I positively establish the circuit entirely within thecasing, rendering it impossible to open or close the circuit from theexterior.-

For the purpose ofetlectually preventing unauthorized removal of thecover`1 it is fixedly connected with the upper" front flange of the case2 by means of a wire 25 passed through apertures 26 in the front andbody parts of the case'respectively, the said wires then being connectedby a suitable seal 27 of well-known construction.

The battery A is shown in sectional Figs. 1, 5 and 6 and in plan in Fig.7, while one of the grids is illustrated in detail in Figs. 8, 9, and10. The active portion of the battery is composed of a pair of plates orgrids, a representing the negative plate and b the positive plate. Eachof said plates is incased within a. covering of chemically treated paperc hermetically sealing the plate, while between the thus incased platesis a separator d of chemically treated wood forming an electric gap. Oneof the objects of such covering and spacing is to provide separation ofone of the plates from the other, while also providing for resiliencyand cushioning to oppose crushing or any of the usual strains to whichsuch a battery is subjected in charging or recharging.

Each plate a and b is in the form of a rectangular frame (Fig. 8) oflead or lead alloy, provided with outer frame members e and transversecross bars f forming the series of checker work cavities g throughoutthe entire body of the plate. The inner sides of each cross barsurrounding each cavity g are recessed as at h providing anchoringengagement with the active material i of the battery. By this meansnumerous adjacent cubical cavlties for the active material are provided,separated by the several cross bars f, and a very large area of themetallic plate is exposed to the active material.

The plates, as thus constructed and incased, are inserted within a casej of'hard rubber or other suitable material, the top Vof which is sealedby a cover c. Said cover is provided with a filler cap Z screwed intothe top, as' shown1 and provided with a funnel opening m leading by acentral aperture n of about 1 16 inch diameter into the interior openingo from whence, by a port p communication is hadsxvith the upper interiorq of the case y' above the plates. At each side of aperture ln.,perforating the inclined walls,

ofthe funnel m at angles of about 35 to the vertical, are reducedopenings 1- of about 1/32 inch diameter. The object of the funnel asthus made is to facilitate charging the unoccupied interior space g ofthe case j with the electrolytic liquid and to prevent its outow shouldthe battery become inverted or tipped.

The 'electrolyte is of such consistency that it assumes a somewhat solidformation during dischargingaction of the battery, and becomes liquidduring the charging operation. If, while in liquid form, the battery isinverted, the liquid will be prevented from escaping through the centralcharging opening n in the' apex of thecone or the lower reduced openings1" on account ofthe retarding suction action. y

In Fig. 11 the case 2 is constructed in the same manner as the caseabove described and is provided with the front or cover having the lamp.However, when a secondary battery is not employed, connection is hadwith a source of current by means of a plug 28 having contact keys 29,30, adapted to make contact with the spring 11 of lamp contact 24 andspring 9 attached to the case for establishing current to the lamptherethrough, in the same manner as described. The keys 29, 30, aresecured in plug 28 and by binding post terminals 31, 32, with conductingWires 33, 34. A block 35 is secured in the upper portion of the casehaving transverse openings 36, 37, for passage of keys 29, 30, and theterminals of said keys are widened in different directions, as shown, asare also the passage openings 36, 37. In other Words, the holes and keyterminals do'not match universally. By this construction it isimpossible to insert the keys improperly, thereby insuring properpolarity of the current, due to the registering of each key with itsparticular hole only.

The batteryand case as a Whole, as thus constructed, are very compact,light and portable and capable of being. used for current for acomparatively long period of time.

The device as a Whole is strong and serviceable, simple in constructionand elicient, while the case is adapted for use With either the insertedstorage or secondary battery, or with a permanentsource of current as bythe plug connection of Figs. 11, 12 and 13.

What I claim is:

1. An electric lamp case of sheet metal having a removable front, anelectric lamp therein, a spring contact for establishing current throughthe case to the lamp socket, and a spring contact secured to theremovable front for making connection with the end of the lamp socket,substantially as set forth.

2. In a lamp, the combination with an inclosed battery, of a sheet metalcase, a sliding front provided with an electriclamp socket in seriescircuit With the front and body of the case and the battery, and a sprincontact device on the inner side of the shding front adapted to engagethe center of an electric lamp in said socket and to make connectionwith the battery, substantially as set forth.

3. In a lamp, the combination of a sheet metal case, a slidingly mountedfront provided With a lamp socket and lamp and having a Contact spring,and a battery Within the case having terminal Contact springs adapted toengage said contact spring and the side of the case respectively,substantially as set forth.

4. A battery casing of sheet metal having a removable front providedwith a lamp socket, an insulated spring contact secured on the innerface of the front and adapted to make contact with the lamp base andhaving an opposite contact terminal, and means for connecting saidterminal and the metal of the case with a source of current,substantially as set forth.

5. A .lamp battery casing of sheet metal having a slidably attachedfront in interfitting engagement With the edge portions of the casingand provided with a lamp socket and an insulated contact spring thereforarranged lengthwisel of the front in the line of its movement,substantially as set forth.

6. A lamp battery casing of sheet metal having a slidably attached frontin interfitting engagement with the edge portions of the casing andprovided with a lamp socket, and an attached insulated Contact springhaving opposite resilient terminals adapted to engage a current terminaland lamp terminal respectively, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto atiix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

CHARLES B. BARTLEY.

Witnesses:

C. M. CLARKE, FREDK STAUB.

